History repeats itself, Mina's history tutor once proposed, and now she couldn't even swallow that statement whole because of how events are occurring too odd.

According to Edward A. Murphy's infamous adage, "Things will go wrong in any given situation if you give them a chance." or, most commonly known as, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

The adage wasn't really a big deal at first, really. But then things start to connect when a letter was sent that very same day, written are the words:

Dear Crown Princess Myoui Mina,

     We received your order smoothly, and we have taken action as soon as we read it. Nagoya Dome was scrutinized in a duration of four hours to guarantee the security of the facility. We wish to apologize with pure hearts for the long anticipation, hopefully, may we have not caused aggravation towards you.

     With regards to the subject of your order, we have successfully discovered a small device established inside the control panel, fused to detonate approximately an hour from now. A constabulary team of experts has arrived immediately to defuse the device ― in which, the great news is brought, the authorities achieved in doing so.

     We would like to arrange a meeting with the royal family to communicate about this incident. We would also like to send you our deepest gratitude for sending an order. If you did not, the safety of those who will attend the Annual Baseball League 2018 today will be held at risk.

     On behalf of the Nagoya Dome management, I have the honor to be, Madam, Your Majesty's humble and obedient servant.

Below the contents of the letter, the signature class of words was written,

     All hail the most precious, Myoui family of beloved Japan!

If this single letter doesn't break a single nerve, then that ridiculous dream wouldn't have made sense.

But everything makes sense now, and Mina can't believe her eyes that everything she just envisioned was a solid stone and not some brittle wood. No matter how hard she strikes the stone, its ability to shatter can't be mistaken anymore ― it can't be.

Migraines, oh, migraines. Migraines are a terrible source of bemusement. If one day isn't enough to hold all of these in, then what more if the following days will garner more and more ridiculous dreams for the young princess to vision?

The story begins when the royal family was invited to a necessary meeting with the management of Nagoya Dome. The Emperor positioned at the head of the table, the Crown Princes sat beside the head of the facility's management while the Chief Executive Officer sat beside the Empress.

The CEO concluded to shut the facility down for further investigation, in which the rest of the party concurred. The Emperor requests to postpone the baseball event until the investigation is considered clean.

Mina is threatened, for the first time in her whole life as a princess, and now her headaches are just big walls of stones put together to block her from executing any duty right without thinking about the situation.

The news broke out well, carefully handled by the management in the brink of day.

Of course, the media would pursue to ask the royal family for an interview. Much unfortunate, Mina is not up to dwell with any source of interrogation for the rest of the day. It all ends with the Crown Princess strolling in between chiffon-painted partitions alone; hands interlocked behind, face too stern to even tolerate.

The palace had always been grim with the colossal pillars and long hallways, but it was never this grim as there were no palace servants to greet their princess along the way. In fact, all the servants were called to cleanse and furnish the ballroom for a scheduled masquerade ball to occur in the next three days. The ball was never part of the schedule, but the Emperor found it relevant to host the event specifically for the baseball players from both Japan and South Korea.

It's a safe bet, sauntering so delicately as if the world wouldn't end in a hundred days. There are millions of thoughts to analyze right now, but the mere fact that the baseball was batted thirty-six degrees east and not thirty-seven degrees is an eccentric notion to meditate about.

Quite convincing, but not fully, as that one certain degree could have made a lifetime change when the control room was an inch off the exact spot, striking the fused device through the fragmented glass. It was either a victory or a defeat; a canceled detonation or a much more hurried countdown with the remaining second of zero.

A headache.

For the umpteenth time, Mina reached for her forehead to rub it so abruptly in comparison to a thousand bees roaming inside one small beehive hanging on a thin branch. And at this point in time, Mina swears she will throw her brain somewhere where headaches and nonsensical migraines cease to attack her without warning. She could have embraced Yuta's proposal of undergoing medical treatment but the little speck of contempt outwitted the entire concern.

With the weak mindset Mina has endured, she continues to saunter until tall, large doors welcome her presence. Right above the doors says Honorary Hall, the chamber where unforgotten names are carved on a silver plate and portraits imported from proficient painters.

Slowly, she opens them in contemplation. The hall was no longer exposed to bright sunlight in accordance with time, but the remaining light of day was enough to illuminate the whole chamber.

Framed paintings are common, as stated before, because history repeats itself to the point where this is the two hundred thirtieth time she stepped foot inside the hall. Arrangements were made, but frankly, arrangements don't produce lifetime changes with the same portraits adjusted fifty centimeters after their original positions.

A little quiet, but that's a facet Mina grew fond of. Courtyards and evergreen gardens convey serenity ― ideal, faultless; identical to her disposition as both crown princess and human. It's a placid state of mind, not much work can be done with the palace servants roaming around with an aim to satisfy the noble ranks.

The Crown Princess stopped midway. A polished portrait greets her existence; an item of a pocketbook grants familiarity in no less than a second when her line of vision greets back. The unfamiliar item, in this case, is a silver plate plastered underneath the portrait, deeply carved with the name Yoo Jeongyeon.

They finally managed to attach the plate.

The previous phenomenon rushes through the roots of her brain, forming solid sentence fragments such as;

Jeongyeon triumphs with eluding―

Momo's furious magnitude―

Sana's book.

One page. Single page.

Mina takes a step towards the portrait. She stares at the woman on the image cautiously with discernment in her eyes, figuring that this portrait is indeed unfathomable now that the sign underneath it announced the name permanently registered in history, Yoo Jeongyeon.

Yoo Jeongyeon who was rapidly shot to death.

Yoo Jeongyeon who saved the life of an impactful crown princess.

Yoo Jeongyeon who ―

"― appeared on a page that she's not supposed to appear on."

Her thoughts resonated through hushed murmurs as if she was speaking to the woman on the portrait directly. The woman wouldn't answer anyway, the princess knows, but the roaring questions of thumping headaches and fading names inclined her to voice it all out.

Maybe it's a little ridiculous. Maybe it's a little eerie. Strange. Absurd. Farcical. And most importantly, unreasonable.

Happenstance, possibly. Perhaps the name is just stuck, like a love song playing on repeat, so now it pesters you everywhere you go. It could be. It should be. Mina doesn't want to sleep on preposterous conclusions; nonsense, Yoo Jeongyeon is.

She's just a historical figure who saved Japan.

A normal person.

A woman in a portrait.

Lived years ago.

The name's just stuck, that's what it is.

_____

The Myoui Gardens are prominent for their diversity with plants. From carnations to burdocks, the entire coverage envelops a wide array of flowers with seeds imported from around the world, including rare and unique kinds that are difficult to locate.

At this very moment of time, the Crown Princess found herself staring at the long shrub of lilacs creating a boundary between the oak trees and the Empress' own begonia empire ― a sacred gift from the Emperor displayed on the day of her coronation.

Under the oak tree she stayed, Mina decided to take a nap beneath the shade of the rustling leaves beforehand. It all started when the media was asking for her presence, but as once stated, the princess is in an unfitting mood to answer bombarded questions.

So, it ends here; back leaned against the trunk, legs outstretched on the grassy ground, fingers loosely clutching the cover of another history textbook resting beside her. You may think that it's such an un-noble-like activity with her absence of elegance, but, truth be told that royalty doesn't always match with grace and sophistication.

She figured that re-reading one of her recently finished history textbooks may take away her grim mindset under the observable oak tree from the open corridor of the palace. Yuta was supposed to stay as an accompaniment, but his assistance was needed in the inviting of special guests for the impending masquerade ball. Mina understood, although it's a little less lonely with only a book lying around to provide company.

And, by any foolish means of attaining sanity, it occurred to the princess that her bookmark was coincidentally attached between two pages that contained a black and white image of Yoo Jeongyeon and a complete biography on the next page.

The name's just stuck.

As far as Mina can remember, she was just reading an article about the execution of Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette's famous last words, "I beg your pardon." for stepping on the foot of the executioner.

The name's just stuck.

Mina rubbed her eyes, trying to recall if she ever left the bookmark as it is. Or maybe it was just the lethargy that made her pin the bookmark on a random page, whereas, it was a unit about Japanese history.

The name's just stuck.

Moreover, Mina had enough since yesterday. She made sure to sleep promptly last night, as advised by the palace nurse for basic treatment. The significance of yesterday's events seem to be returning beneath the shade of the rustling leaves; the wind freshly blows, and the pages of her opened textbook flip hastily.

The name's just stuck.

The Crown Princess should be participating in the arranging of the ballroom event as well as the fitting for the evening gown, but the Empress proposed to prioritize her headaches and therefore take some time off for herself. In addition to that, the noble businesswoman, Sana, is scheduled to arrive later on to assist the dressmaker in designing the gowns. Her visits have been getting more frequent; her father must be really serious with his daughter's part of the work, resulting the female to slack off and drop her best friend a harmless appointment.

Moments have passed and the textbook was flipped aimlessly. From English executions to French monarchs to Joseon positions, the table of contents appears to vary in terms of global history. The book isn't that thick, like an encyclopedia, perhaps, but it is most comparable to an algebra textbook Japanese students in highschool have.

Speaking of highschool, Mina always wondered how would it feel to study in a regular school. To experience having many friends, to fulfill student tasks, or to prepare for festivals that everyone can celebrate with. However, the princess already passed that stage. She never had the chance to experience living a normal life, as her people have.

What would it feel? To serve others, and yet, still have the ability to be served?

Would it make a difference?

_____

The day of the ball arrived. Curtains sewn with premium fabric were pinned on tall windows, golden lights emitting from large chandeliers furnished across the high ceiling, and several South Korean flags were hanged on bold pillars on one side of the ballroom while the Japanese flags were hanged on the opposite side.

Visitors are already arriving, opening their arms for one another as a kind gesture after they bow to respect. Nobody forgets to bow, of course; it is a sign of high regards for both countries and therefore shall not be taken into ridicule.

Majority of guests are of excellent nobles ― individuals with outstanding reputation due to their exemplary amount of wealth that they contribute to a quarter of the nation's capital. Although, the ball was prepared in gratitude for the football players, both from South Korea and Japan and to show apologies for the sudden announcement of cancellation.

Back in the solar room, Sana was assisting Mina with her makeup despite the various makeup artists present to help the royal family with their appearances for the rest of the night. Sana was the first to prepare, as the Empress suggested, just so she can help the rest of the experts to plan their respected attires. Mina thought that her best friend was more than just gorgeous ― a true beauty; a stunning, delicate noble like Minatozaki Sana is frankly unrivaled.

"I envy you, Sana-chan," Mina initiates the conversation after minutes of silence, occasionally disturbed by the clumsy bumps of her best friend whenever she revolves around her client to fix.

Sana, upon combing the princess' hair for the hundredth time already, concludes the session by tucking the latter's hair behind her ears. "Why so? A flawless princess like you shouldn't have the ability to envy," she says, leaning downwards to adjust her footwear to avoid dislocation of her foot.

A common sigh leaves from Mina's lips. Sana perks up, then she places both her hands on the younger's shoulder.

"You're so..." Mina tilts her head, soon leaning against Sana's knuckles that stationed to comfort her. "I don't know. I've been thinking a lot. You're so individualistic ― untroubled, I noticed. Despite being the daughter of a fortunate CEO and your role as the head of several departments that build up your entire business, you still manage to spare some time to―"

"Do whatever I want?" Sana cut her off, already knowing where Mina is leading the conversation to.

"Yes..." Mina deflates on her recliner, albeit feeling a little too defeated from Sana's strong senses.

Sana smiles, then rubs Mina's shoulders until she leans toward to leave a peck on the latter's forehead from behind. She plods beside Mina's recliner to pull a nearby side chair for her to sit on, afterward putting aside the mask that advanced with it.

Now settling beside her best friend with the warmest smile she ever displayed, she responds, "You know, it's very rare to hear things like these from you. What are you thinking about?"

Mina never had the capacity to vanquish Sana's methods of consultation. No matter how much she wanted to keep everything for herself, concealing even the deepest of secrets that no other man could ever expose out of her, Sana always managed to be that one (wo)man to pull all confidential thoughts at once without allowing offense to take over the other. Her choice of words was unmistakeably attached with comfort, allowing her soft tone to ease the princess even under dire situations.

"As much as I want to lie, sitting here close to you told me to change my mind. I find it ridiculous at first, but...give me a hand?"

"Always, dear." Sana's voice was low and calm, but Mina already felt the honest compassion that she always emits everytime sessions like these begin. "We have time to spend. Much better if we spend it wisely."

Mina swallowed then sighed. Felt how her heartbeat slowed and toned down.

"It's so...odd. Everyone says I'm the 'most fortunate human being in the entire world', but if I'm being honest, the word fortunate sounds so foreign to me. I understand; one of the highest ranks, the Crown Princess of Japan ― I am that. Although, despite being that, I can never comprehend the true meaning of fortunate and how the community constructs the basis of the same word."

"Money, power, beauty ― you do not see those as the basis of the word fortunate."

"Yes. Somehow, it just doesn't sound right to me. I figured that that word has a different meaning; to me, at least, and I want to know what it is."

Sana nods, much like how her father does as a gesture of assimilation.

"You're too humble, Mina-chan. I love you for that, I really do." Sana stands up to make her way and block Mina's line of vision, only to lock her neck in an embrace and keep her head buried in Sana's clothed stomach, carefully adjusting her hair to not get it unkempt from the hundred combs Sana performed.

"Why? Are you not content with what you have?" She asks in the midst of their skinship as she felt the further digging of Mina's head.

"I am..." Mina half-admits. Nonetheless, it was not far from the truth. "There's just something missing and I feel desperate to know what it is."

The princess finally looks up to the empathetic noble, who never removed her tender smile in hopes of easing the former.

"Then let's look for it together, alright?" Sana inclines to leave another peck on her forehead. "For now, I suggest you shouldn't fret too much. I see you've been thinking a lot. This topic feels heavy, yes?"

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