It was the start of the spring when Son Chaeyoung being told to come to the palace by her father.  She is the daughter of king's mistress so she mostly spent her time outside the palace,  far from the royal culture. 

Chaeyoung would rather wear men's clothes whenever she went out for hunting.  She was called the small tiger from the South by the other hunters.  No one seem to notice that Chaeyoung is a girl except Chou Tzuyu,  the slave that she treated as close friend. 

Chaeyoung sighed as she finally stepped into the palace.  People stared at her,  they somewhat confused her for a man because of her appearance,  hair tied up in a bun and wolf fur coat she wore. 

"Who are you?"

The gate keeper stopped her and Tzuyu to walk inside the king's place. 

"Son Chaeyoung,  my father called me to come here"

"Who is your father? "

"Do you know the Great Kim?"

Tzuyu whispered to the gate keeper,  he suddenly bow in fear and let them in after apoligising so many times.

Chaeyoung walked inside the palace and found it a bit boring. 

"I'd rather hunt a deer right now"

"You can do that later,  master"

"Yah,  i told you just call me Chaeyoung"

"But i'm.."

Chaeyoung scolded Tzuyu when someone approached them and bowed politely. 

"I will send you to the king's palace"

"Ah,  yeah,  thank you"

Chaeyoung walked with Tzuyu to the king's room where there is so much people surround them.  It's a bit scary to even move slightly because they kept on watching their gesture. 

Chaeyoung knocked on the door and got in. It's the first time she could see her father after years of only heard how he look like. 

Chaeyoung bow down and sat when the king finally turned around.  He smiled at her,  Chaeyoung could feel the charisma of her father just by a quick glance. 

"Chaeyoung ah,  it's been a long time since i saw you"

Chaeyoung frowned,  she wanted to speak a lot but she lost for words.  It surely felt awkward to finally met her own father after 20 years.  She even didn't have the right to own the king's family name. 

"Ah,  yes.  It's been long"

"How is your mother? Is she alright?"

Chaeyoung clenched her fists as she tried not to sound sarcastic.

"She's gone"

"Ah,  i'm sorry i knew that your mother was sick back then but i couldn't even see her at least once... "

'Sorry you said?'

Chaeyoung held her fists tightly as she kept on remembering how her mother struggled to fight with her illness but nobody came to rescue her,  she even still remember how her mother kept on recalling her father's name during her sleep and even on her last day but still no one was coming nor even sent any news to her.

So why now?  Why after a month of her mother's tragic death she get called to come into the palace because her damn father wanted to see her. 

Chaeyoung gritted her teeth as she tried not to show how much she hated that man in front of her. 

"Why?"

It's the only word that failed to be shut as Chaeyoung tried to appear calm in front of the king

 "I need your help"

"Now?"

"Yes,  as you may know that i need a successor for the throne,  but i don't have a son yet"

Chaeyoung frowned,  she looked at the man in front of her.

"I need you to take care of this for a couple of years"

"What is this all about?"

"I need to send a prince to marry the princess of Japan"

"But i'm a girl"

"You certainly don't look like one from a first glance"

"Ugh, this is just so unfair"

"You need to consider this"

"Why should i?"

"I will put your mother's grave in a better place.  Just a few years Chaeyoung"

"How this trade is fair enough?"

"I will set your whole village free from sending ransom"

"Really?"

"You can hold my promise"

****

Myoui Mina sighed heavily,  during the ceremony she tried her best not to sound sad but who wouldn't when her family traded her for the agreement between two countries. 

She glanced at the man