Unfortunately, their first trip together wasn’t to Lepus, instead they traveled to one of the islands of their kingdom, for a much less pleasant reason.

Two weeks after the ball, Chaeyeon had requested for another meeting and Chaewon could tell it was bad news just by looking at her friend’s face. She was proven right as she skimmed through the file the woman handed her, all documents pointing to the worst. Group Kim’s name wasn’t mentioned in any of the documents, instead a couple of smaller companies that shared could be linked to the group – of course, they were all for shown, only names on a paper to diverge attention. It made Chaewon upset and frustrated to see how easy it was for the people who should be part of her family, to take advantage of their status and gain even more money – and all in expense of the natural resources the royal family had tried so hard to protect.

There were only two ways to handle it: she could turn a blind eye to her parent-in-laws’ dirty business and trust they would keep the media away and avoid a scandal. Or she could confront their directly, claiming back all the land and making their laws even more strict, ignoring the toll it could take in her relationship with Minjoo’s family and the spoiled men at the parliament.

The choice was obvious. She was first, and foremost, the future queen of that nation and she couldn’t simply ignore what was best for Aurum.

Hopefully, Minjoo would understand her decision – that’s why she brought her wife along in this trip.

Chaewon had taken Minjoo to visit the island and check for themselves what exactly was happening there. Of course, the average citizen wouldn’t be allowed inside a construction site, but they were no average citizens and the royal guards were more than enough to make sure not even the most truculent private security team would try to mess with them.

Minjoo was confused at first, trying to grasp why Chae would bother to check such mundane activities when the protocol was to send one of the government agents to check the safety rules and all else. A princess should be busy with making rules and deciding the future of the nation, not this. Nonetheless, it didn’t take long for her to understand why Chae insisted on visiting the place.

What the responsible for the construction site claimed to be the initial stages of the building of installations for a dairy products fabric, were so far from it. Not only the place was huge, but also all the digging that was done, as well as all the chemical products being used made it pretty clear it was something else. The man had tried to fool them, using the excuse that they were actually trying to build a resort of the highest quality, but it was undeniable it was a mining company at works. They were probably planning on digging the whole place for gold or whatever they thought was worth the investment – regardless of how much destruction it was going to cause.

Chae had closed the construction site right away, the place getting infested with all sort of police officers as soon as she gave the order. Minjoo watched it in awe, her calm and sweet wife, becoming stone cold as she gave orders left and right, making sure every single spot would be properly inspected and that the mining company would pay for every single law infraction. Chaewon ignored the pleading of the man who was in charge of the site, telling him to just follow the instructions of her legal team, reinforcing all the punishment would be properly directed to the higher ups of the mining company, making sure the right people would pay for what they had done.

It wasn’t like Chaewon to take action before thinking and Min just knew she had thought a lot before deciding to come there, deciding the best way to deal with it – her insistence in bringing Minjoo along, however, was unexpected. And the young duchess felt a weird feeling on her stomach, a suspicious filling her mind. She was lost in thoughts as she followed her wife back to their hotel room after a long day.

As soon as they reached their room, Chaewon throw aside her shoes and blazer, allowing a smile back on her face. “You can go and take a shower first. I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would be so hot in there.” With her usual manners, she gently offered. The princess was back to her usual self, none of their commanding authority emanating from her, just the beloved wife Minjoo knew so well. This duality was rather impressive, yet expected from a ruler.

Shaking her head lightly, Minjoo gently pushed her wife towards the bathroom. “You go first. I know it was pretty stressing for you…And don’t say otherwise. I know you the best, your highness.” Winking to make her words sound a little less serious, she watched Chaewon hesitate before the woman finally nodded, heading to the bathroom.

Once she was alone, Minjoo sighed to herself. She knew her wife the best, indeed. That meant she also knew Chae had been concealing something from her, the dark light in Chaewon’s eyes was there instead of the bright chestnut, her shoulders tense and her smile smaller – ever since she had comeback from a meeting with Chaeyeon. Min had decided to wait for her to talk, knowing that it should be something regarding her work as a princess, something that maybe she couldn’t disclosure just yet. However, it’s been three days and today after this sudden trip, it was clear the issue was big and her wife was stepping on eggs, trying to find the right way to include her – otherwise, why would she have invited Minjoo to come along?

The duchess may be young and still a little inexperienced, but she was far from dense. Seeing the alleged construction site, her sharp eyes had recognized several logos from companies she knew all too well. Companies that shouldn’t be involved in such matters.

Her parents’ companies, the small ones they would buy to do all the little works they didn’t want Group Kim’s name associated with.

No wonder Chaewon was hesitating to talk to her about it.

Minjoo allowed her wife to take her time, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom before going in for a quick shower – if she was about to get bad news, she wanted to be into comfortable clothes instead of having her skin clammy with sweat; at least she could washed it aways, if only she could do the same with the weight over her shoulders.

Chaewon was still in her white robe, sitting by the small table where the lunch she ordered earlier had been placed. She was lost in thoughts, a nervous energy in her body making her feet shake up and down, a sigh leaving her lips.

When Chaeyeon delivered the data, she knew she could trust the information. Chaeyeon wasn’t only reliable, but also pretty great at what she does. Still, it wasn’t easy to swallow the fact that she would have to confront her parents-in-law. That’s why she had forced herself to keep it a secret, slowly planning what she should do about it, before coming to Minjoo with the news and seeing her reaction. Hence why she decided to make her wife tag along in this trip, giving her the chance of seeing for herself what Group Kim was doing and understand Chaewon’s reasons to do what she had to – hopefully, Min would agree with her plans, otherwise Chae would have to deal with an even bigger problem.

The kingdom should always come first, but it wasn’t quite true. Minjoo was important for her, in a very different way. Chaewon was raised to love and care for this country, while she had learned to love Minjoo on her own, yet this love was as big as the one she harbored for their nation.

The last thing she wanted was to hurt her wife to fulfil her role as a princess.

Three days carrying the weight of this secret, was already killing her inside – of course, Minjoo was aware of it and there was no point in delay it any longer.

As if she could read her thoughts, the younger girl came out of the bathroom with her brown hair damp and a calm smile on her face, dressed in an oversized shirt that she liked to wear to sleep. She came to Chaewon’s meeting, her light fingers touching the princess’ red hair and winning her a surprised look, before Chaewon smiled at her.

“I ordered some food.” The older woman informed, inviting her to take a seat beside her, but the brunette preferred to slide inside her wife’s arms, comfortably sitting on her lap.

Min shook her head slowly, a had cupping Chaewon’s face, demanding her attention. “Mind share your thoughts with a peasant, your highness?” The request was made in a sweet voice, but there was seriousness in Minjoo’s dark eyes.

Hugging the brunette a little closer, Chae gave her a tight-lipped smile. She knew it couldn’t be delayed forever, but part of her was still hesitant to start the conversation. “You’re no peasant, your royal grace.”

“But you’re still not telling me everything.” Min's sharp reply was accompanied by an equally sharp look, one that demanded some answers from the older woman. “Remember your promise?”

“Sorry, Minjoo. I just have been…A little overwhelmed.” Refraining from frowning, the redhead tried to arrange her thoughts. There was no easy way to go on about it. Her wife was a smart woman, it was impossible for her to not have picked up some of the clues yet. “Do you know the place we visited earlier?”

“Yeah. Seems like some corporation is trying to take advantage of this island resources.” Minjoo nodded, purposely keeping Group Kim’s name out of it for now. Instead, she focused on the concrete information she had so far. What they had seen that day was similar to the issue she had handle a couple of weeks before, the memory of it still clear in her mind. “I have noticed something like this happening in some other parts for the country as well, corporations buying land where they should not. They’re trying to use our people for their own benefit.” It was a good thing for corporations, it was easy to attract farmers with money that may look like a fortune for them, but it wasn’t more than the smallest of the changes for a conglomerate.

“Exactly.” It was Chae’s turn to nod, her lips pressed together into a thin line. Part of the documents Chaeyeon handed her showed that the companies under Group Kim have been trying to buy land all over the place, surely planning on using this land for mining. “Aurum always had strict laws to protect our natural resources and to make sure the citizens would have a fair access to our land. We never strived to be a rich country, but rather to be a good one.”

The brunette smiled, a small smile that was rather proud – Chaewon had always been passionate about such issues, making sure Aurum could be a good place for its citizens instead of one of those big nations where only a few people can live a decent life. “I know, it is the reason why we have a much better wealth distribution than most countries.”

“Unfortunately, some people are trying to use these same laws to make money by exploring the resources and shipping out whatever they can mine to other countries. The westerns wouldn’t hesitate in accepting such deal.” Now there was a hint of rage in Chaewon’s usually sweet voice, a mix of frustration and anger. It might sound silly for others, but her family took great pride in never submitting to the wishes of bigger nations, refusing to take the easy path and sell out everything they had to make easy money, protecting their people and nature’s wellbeing. She didn’t plan on allowing it to change now, or ever. “But we also have rules to prohibit foreigners to buy and spoilt the land. Laws that are being threatened right now.”

“So, it means those companies from our country are helping them.” Minjoo admitted bitterly. Again, why would she be surprised? For her parents it was all about money and power, if people weren’t important to them, why trees and animals would be? Her dad was probably sitting on his office smiling to himself and thinking he was so smart for getting another deal. “Just to get more money.”

“And power. Maybe to build important connections and increase their influence within the international community…” Chaewon sighed, her shoulders curved as she pulled Minjoo even closer, resting her chin on her shoulder. It wasn’t a simple deal to get the companies a few extra bucks, it was millions worthy of resources and dirty money that they probably never planned on allowing to reach the national banks – it was far from the most original idea, and luckily Chaewon knew very well how to deal with them.

Minjoo caressed the princess’ hair, taking a deep breath before asking. “What are you planning to do?”

“In this case the right thing to do would be to make our laws even more strict, to have people overlooking the agricultural activities and tracking any suspicious deals. Try to expose those corporations and make sure our people understand the risks that dealing with them represents.” Chaewon replied in a robotic way, all the measures she studied over the last few weeks at the tip of her tongue. By now she already had all documents organized and Chaeyeon was helping her to make sure there would be no loopholes those greedy men could explore. “But it may not be so simple.”

Containing another sigh, Minjoo insisted, mentally preparing herself to hear her parents name being mentioned sooner than later. “And why would it be the case?”

Chaewon pulled back a bit, just enough to focus her gaze on the younger woman, making sure she could see the sincerity in her expression – and hoping for Minjoo to react well. “Group Kim is involved. I believe it is happening under your father’s orders.”

The duchess hands gripped a little tighter to Chae’s shoulders, tension on her whole body. She felt a bitter taste on . “They are not only taking advantage of the laws or the farmers, they’re taking advantage of you…” No wonder her parents looked so happy at the ball, not minding whatever her wife may be doing, after all for them the wedding already had reached its purpose and it wasn’t Minjoo’s happiness. “Because of me.”

Grimacing, the older Kim shook her head. “You have nothing to do with it.” Her in-laws were surely using her as a leverage now that they were linked through Minjoo, but her wife was never one to blame. Minjoo may be their daughter, yet she didn’t share their nasty personality.

“But I do. They’re doing it because they know it will be much harder to go against them now that we’re family.” Minjoo stated the fact they both already knew, the taste of the true so bitter in now that she felt like she could throw up. “Just another time they’re using me to get what they want.” Her whole life she had never been more than a piece in her parents’ games, nothing more than another part of their greedy plans. It made her feel pathetic that once upon a time she tried to excuse their behavior to herself, to tell herself that it may be their way to look out for her…What a joke.

“It’s not your fault, Minjoo. They are fools for thinking they can manipulate us to get things their way.” Chaewon insisted, making sure her wife knew they were in this together, not in opposite sides. She spent a lot of time considering her decision to make sure it was never the case. “I don’t want to break our family apart, so I will try to-”

“You will do whatever you need to do to protect this country, Chae.” Minjoo cut her off, her voice resolute. She could feel her eyes burning, tears of anger and sadness filling them. A life of mistreatment coming to her mind. “Forget they are my family.” Just like her parents always forgot to treat her as their child. Even now, when she finally found her happiness with Chaewon, her parents still wanted more, still willing to use her. “Now they’re just Group Kim, a multimillionaire conglomerate trying to make easy money at our people’s expense. At my expense.”

“But if I do it…” Chaewon hesitate, her eyes seeing the hurt in Minjoo’s chocolate orbs. Instinctively she caressed her back, trying to comfort her through the gentle, loving touch. She wanted to pull Minjoo into a tight hug, but her wife was stiff now. “If I reveal that Group Kim is behind it, people will attack you. They may see you as a…” Having to deal with her parents’ betrayal should be enough, but the consequences were bigger than that, consequences which Chaewon wanted to protect her from.

“Traitor? Gold digger?” Minjoo let out a humorless chuckle, the bitterness in now took form in a tight knot in , making it a little hard to breathe. Yet, it didn’t make her waver. “Then I will have to do my best to prove them wrong.”

“I don’t want you to have to go through this.” It was Chaewon’s turn to be stubborn. The idea of having her people turn against her wife also hurt her, seeing Minjoo suffer now was already making her regret ever telling the duchess about what was happening – even if she knew the woman deserved the truth. She never thought that being the princess would mean being torn between her country and the woman that she loved. “I can find other ways.”

“Other ways would only save my parents’ huge ego and wouldn’t teach them a thing.” Minjoo shook her head in a strong negative, a single tear falling from her eyes. She made sure to wipe it right away, as she forced a smile back on her face. “Just do what is the best for everyone. And…” Her parents didn’t deserve her tears, nor did they care. It was time for her to do the same about them. “And please stay with me, okay?”

The redhead’s heart shrunk inside her chest, pained by the hurt she saw in her young duchess’ eyes, the usual glint no longer there. Minjoo was strong, strong enough to hold back her tears and not allow her feelings to interfere with her role as a ruler. “I surely will, my love.” Chaewon reassured, bringing her wife into a tight hug. She wanted Min to feel safe and comfortable enough to not hold back her emotions, she wanted her to know that regardless of anything their parents ever did, she would always be there for her. “I will make sure people understand that you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. That you will be the best for this country, too.”

A shaky smile made its way to Minjoo’s lips as she buried her face on the crook of Chae’s neck, her arms hugging the girl even closer as she tried to get all the comfort only her wife could provide. The clean, familiar scent of mint and strawberry was there to ease her heart, Chaewon’s arms keeping her in a warm hug, her hands tracing calming patterns on her back. Chaewon was there for her, like always. “Thank you for trusting me.” There was no need to say more, after all they both knew what she meant. Chaewon could have misjudge things and think she was aware of her parents’ plans, or simply disregard her opinion, keeping her in the dark forever – yet, it wouldn’t be like Chaewon. Her Chaewon, today more than ever, proved to be true to her words and even if Minjoo’s heart was hurting now, it was also a little bigger, being slowly healed by Chae’s care and trust.

“What kind of wife would I be if I didn’t?” The princess kissed the brunette’s hair, a small smile of her own now painted on her face. Doubting her wife was never possible for her, it would be the same as doubting all their years of friendship and their love. She knew Minjoo – all the wonderful sides of her, the sides that made her the ideal partner for Chaewon – just like the duchess knew her so well. The bond they shared was far greater than any silly suspicious her mind could create. “We will be fine, Min. We will get through this. And once we’re done, we will pay Eunbi a visit, like I promised you.”

Minjoo’s reply wasn’t verbal, her body just becoming less tense as she snuggled up to Chaewon. Her lips landing on the soft skin of the base of the princess’ neck in a silent thank you, as she closed her eyes and tried to focus only on Chaewon.

Later on, Chae would have to take control over things and do whatever it takes to shut down Group Kim’s plans, making public all the things they had been hiding from the media. But for now, they still had time – enough time for her to comfort her wife and convince her to move to the bed so they could cuddle, forgetting their untouched lunch on the table. She decided she would delegate all work she could for now, staying beside her wife and extending their stay until the next day. It wasn’t much, but those feel more hours alone, may be enough to help Minjoo to prepare for what they would have to deal with in the future.

Tomorrow, once they were back home, Minjoo would have to confront more than just the rabid reporters and the judgment of the people. Before the media, she would have to face a far greater opponent – her parents; and it may be the last time she ever did.

The next morning the royal couple traveled back home together, a quiet trip back to the palace. Chaeyeon had called first thing in the morning, informing everything was ready to go – what meant Chaewon would be heading out to the parliament soon to present the proposal for the new laws; it would be an open session, so everything she said or did, would be known to the world and every single member of the chamber would be pressured to abide to her requests, otherwise the public would be against them. Even if they did oppose, Chaewon had the signature of her dad in every single document, and regardless of protests, the king’s wishes were still sovereign.

Once the session was done, she would have to head out to a quick press conference, where she would emphasize her request for more strict laws and make it clear no one was above the law in this country, revealing all the companies involved and showing her people what they were doing.

Even before it happened, she already knew it would be hard.

Chaewon knew she would find resistance in the greedy members of the parliament and their pairs, she knew the reporters would try to dig out every single thing and twist the narrative to fit their personal preferences better. She knew some companies, mainly the powerful Group Kim, would try to retaliate by blocking funds and threatening to leave to a ‘fairer’ country – she also prepared for it, making sure that for them leaving Aurum would cost a lot more than staying, tying them down. It would still affect their economy, but hopefully it wouldn’t be a huge thing as long as she could have her people behind her and the support of their ally nations.

Of course, there were still a lot of ways things could turn badly. Yet, she had to be brave – for herself, for her parents and for that whole country. Moreover, for her wife.

Chaewon could handle the spoiled men at the parliament, she knew how to do it. The economy was never still, it would float up and down, but as long as she could be able to give people some guarantees, it would be okay. Aurum was strong and it had the support from other nations, years of strong bonds between some of them.

But Minjoo…Minjoo was different. Chae couldn’t simply protect her from all harm, she couldn’t sign a law to stop reporters from writing nasty articles, she couldn’t stop people from forming a bad opinion about the duchess due to her connections with Group Kim. Interfering could bring more harm than good and Chaewon wasn’t sure about what to do.

Min told her she would be okay, but could she really be?

That morning, before going their separate ways, she had given her a tight hug and asked her to take care. Minjoo was going to see her parents, right now she was probably with them and Chaewon could only imagine how bad it could go – it made her a little restless, silent praying Minjoo would be okay.

The princess’ thoughts were still filled with her wife when she arrived at the parliament, finally forcing herself to forget about her personal life and put on her royal façade to face the sharks that were the greedy men sitting opposite her at the table.

Sighing, she climbed down the car and waved at the small crowd outside. She hoped everything would be okay today – for all of them.

Minjoo was quiet, hands pressed together and gaze lost outside the tinted windows of the car. Kriesha was sitting beside her, the girl would pat her back every once in a while, and give her the warmest smile – she didn’t know how much her assistant knew about the matter, but she knew for sure that Chaewon had told her to keep Minjoo company. She was glad, having her old friend around gave her some comfort – comfort she would probably need once she was done talking to her parents.

She would arrive at her old house soon. It was early in the morning and her parents should be having breakfast now, the room silent as they would be busy with their own morning activities – reading the newspaper for her dad, planning today’s schedule for her mother. That house was always silent. It always lacked the warmth Minjoo found in Chaewon’s presence.

Today it was colder than ever.

One of the royal guards that accompanied her opened the car door and Minjoo stepped outside with a forced smile on her face, the low ‘thank you’ that left barely audible. The butler greeted her at the entrance with a polite bow, guiding her inside. Kriesha followed behind as they entered the place, their heels hitting the shiny wooden floor of the house, reverberating through the high ceiling of the mansion.

Minjoo expected to be swarmed by memories, by the painful moments that she once cherished, haunted the few occasions where she truly felt happy there – unsurprisingly, all memories were from her childhood, birthday parties and the rare occasions when she was allowed to play by the pool instead of having to behave like a lady. The older she got, the more she understood her parents’ actions, and these memories became more and more meaningless.

Today, she couldn’t even picture it. Her body as cold as that house, numb to her surrounds as she kept her head held high in the posture she had been trained to keep her whole life.

“You can wait here. It won’t take long.” She informed Kriesha, signalizing for her to stay as she would finally enter the dining room where her parents were.

The slightly older woman hesitated, her gaze going from Minjoo to the stern butler who still waited for the duchess to make a move. Kriesha came closer, her voice low as she asked. “Will you be okay?”

For what looked like the tenth time today, Minjoo forced a smile, nodding slowly. “I will.”

Not waiting for a reply, she her heels and headed to the door, waiting for the butler to open it before she could enter the space she knew like the back of her hand – it hadn’t changed, it would never change.

She bowed in a greeting, observing her parents frowning at her sudden appearance, even if the butler already had introduced her.

The family exchanged looks, her mother subtly gesturing for her to take a seat by the immense table, opposite the couple – she choose to sit half way through, avoiding the seat at the end of the table, staying close enough to talk comfortably, but still far enough to not have to face them directly.

The Kim matriarch wait for the butler to leave the room before throwing Minjoo a disapproval look – her expertise. “What are you doing here? It’s rude to come unannounced.”

Minjoo only gave her an ironic smile. “I’m a royal duchess now, I don’t think this rule applies to me now.”

“Being married to a princess who doesn’t even rules her country yet, doesn’t put you above etiquette laws, child.” It was the turn of her father to intervene, not bothering sparing her a glance. Why would he? He was always busy with something, even now when he wanted to undermine her status, it was still too much of hassle to spare her a few seconds.

Minjoo was nitpicking at her parents’ habits, she knew it, but it was impossible to not to. Now everything that always bothered her was more blatant than ever, every little form of mistreatment that she was no longer willing to ignore. They hadn’t seen her in weeks, yet, instead of happy, they were just annoyed to have an unexpected guest – it made her feel more like a stranger than their daughter.

“It doesn’t put you above the law either.” She informed calmingly, her hands still pressed together over her lap, fingers touching her wedding ring in search for strength, as she glanced at the couple. She wondered if she had made a mistake coming there, if she should just ignore it and pretend she never had anything to do with them – the heavy glare she received from her father made it easy to know the answer. It would be their last conversation in a long time. “Chaewon is taking action today. I just came here to let you know that I won’t take your side in all this.”

“What are you talking about?” Mr. Kim’s low voice couldn’t hide completely his annoyance, his well put-together persona crumbling slowly.

“The mining? The contract with the westerns?” Minjoo continued, ignoring her mother’s glare telling her to shut up. She was no longer a kid, she didn’t need to follow her orders and act like a good girl. She had done it for far too long. “Don’t you think it’s really low to use money to manipulate poor farmers and buy their land just to ruin it? Did you even bother telling them that the chemicals you use there would poison all the water and eventually their families too? That it would poison the nearby land and make it impossible to ever harvest anything again?”

“Kim Minjoo how dare you!” Her mother was the first to speak, her face growing red, although she kept her voice low.

“Watch what you say.” But it was her dad who broke down first, forgetting his well-polished façade right away – he didn’t have a reason to keep it, not when there were only the three of them and Minjoo already made it clear that they were no longer a team. “Group Kim has no business with the westerns or with mining!”

Those reactions didn’t affect the young Kim, who continue to talk, ignoring their protests. “Oh, of course! It wouldn’t include Group Kim’s name, it would be stupid and that’s something none of you are.” She punctuated the last word with sarcasm, her bright dark eyes opaque as she looked at her dad. Now the memories were there, the memory of working at Group Kim’s office, as a glorified intern who was never really allowed into the decision making even if she was already done with college and was more than capable of helping – now the reason why was clear. “Instead, you are using all the small companies you bought under your dumb directors’ names. You didn’t think I would notice it? You may have tried to keep me in the dark with silly paperwork, but turns out even paperwork can be useful.”

Losing all her elegant act, her mother stood up, clearly disturbed. Of course, for her Minjoo was always like a doll, she wasn’t ready to deal with her talking back. “Did you sell us out to the princess? After everything we did to get you where you are now?!”

Minjoo didn’t move, her hands no longer clasped together, instead she placed them at the edge of the table. Fingers carefully tracing its contours, diverging her focus to not allow the emotion to get the best of her. “I didn’t have to. Chaewon is more than capable of ruling Aurum and she isn’t a fool. As for what you did for me…” How could her mother even say that? She wondered if the woman really believed to have ever helped her daughter. That, for once, her actions weren’t selfish. “Shouldn’t I be the one complaining about being sold to the royals?” She finally looked up, just in time to see the shocked expression in her mother’s face. No, that woman really believed her actions were for good – the kind of good she knew.

“You’re so loyal to that brat, but you’re nothing but a toy to her!” Her father shouted, his newspapers thrown aside as he looked at her with burning eyes, full of more than pure rage – he was genuinely dumbfounded, surprised that the girl he never saw as more than a pawn, was no longer under his control. “If we sold you, she was more than willing to buy! And what do you think is the reason?”

Those words should have hurt – but they didn’t. If anything, the intention behind them did make Minjoo’s heart feel a little smaller, a sharp pain like an arrow piercing through it. Yet, she didn’t let it affect her, after all she knew the truth. Even before all of this, before the wedding was even a possibility, Chaewon had never lied to her and this was enough for her to know where her trust should lie. “The royal family needed stability, Chaewon needed me. Different from you, she never kept secrets from me, so don’t you think you can turn me against her.”

“You ungrateful little…” The older woman muttered under her breathe, her eyes equally full of anger now. Wasn’t that one of those situations were mothers should stand up for their child? Instead, she was cursing her – and all for saying the truth. It didn’t surprise Minjoo, her mother was never the protective type.

“You decided to become the princess’ loyal dog!” The man pretty much spat his words, despise all over his face as he faced his only daughter. “I always knew you didn’t have enough in you to be a leader! A girl never does. That’s why I tried to find you a suitable role.” Minjoo almost winced at the sudden attack, her hands grabbing onto the table a little harder. Yet, she only took in a deep breath, her eyes not averting from the man who so carelessly dismissed her value. “But now look at you, hiding behind the princess like the weak brat you are!”

It wasn’t funny, it made her feel her eyes burn and her body grow even colder. Still, she let out a small, lifeless chuckle. “I guess it’s only okay if I’m a well-behaved dog as long as I’m loyal to you, right? You know, this really puts things in perspective.” A very sad, painted in grey perspective. It wasn’t something new, but there was a very big difference between feeling unimportant and unwanted, and to hear it directly from the people who were supposed to love her the most. “You two never treated me as your daughter. Just a little toy in the games you play.” Suddenly, she didn’t feel as the royal duchess of this nation, but like the teenager girl who was always afraid of going against her parents and disappointing them – and she hated this feeling. “Sadly, I am no longer useful for you.”

“But you are! Stupid child, do you think this can take Group Kim down? Your royal brat can’t touch us, nor can you.” Her father hit his hands against the table, leaning in in what was supposed to be an intimidating posture, but only showed how out of control he really was. Minjoo didn’t even look at him. “Her tricks may affect business for a little awhile, but we have time and we will wait…Wait until she reaches the same ending her brother did.”

“Shut up!” It was Minjoo’s turn to put aside all her manners, standing up for herself and for her wife. Her eyes met her dad’s, her gaze strong as she faced him with the same despise. “Chaewon is completely healthy and nothing will change it. You may be heartless, but even for you that’s too low!”

“Her brother also looked like it, but look at him now!” The man insisted, knowing he was pushing the right buttons to hurt his daughter. Of course, he needed a way to even the field now that the secret of his dirty business was out of the bag. “She will soon or later perish, and once she does, all you will be is a babysitter for her children. A shadow in the past of this country.”

“Stay with us, and once the time is right, we can help you to lead this country.” Her mother finally spoke again, now back to her usual, cunning and meticulous tone. Minjoo could almost see the glint of corruption in her eyes, the soulless orbs that were the same color as hers, yet lacked any warmth. “You will be the mother of the royal heir. We will help you to control the child and-”

“Enough!” The duchess stood up from her seat, pushing the chair back and sending it to the ground with a dull sound that echoed through the chamber just like her voice. “Nothing will happen to my wife. My children won’t be just objects to reach power, they will be people with feelings and emotions, people who I will care for and love. They will be my family.” Her voice almost cracked, the hot feeling of tears unreleased in her eyes. Still, she didn’t allow herself to show this vulnerable side to the cold-blooded people who would only see it as another sign of her weakness. Taking a deep breath, she completed, “The family I never had here.”

Her mother just shook her head in disapproval, while her dad scoffed at her words, his cynic ways evident. “You are a naïve and foolish! They will throw you out the palace and then you will be all on your own.”

Mirroring her mother’s actions, Minjoo shook her head firmly, straightening her back to look the couple in the eye. “I may be a fool, but you are poisoned by greedy. And for what? You already have everything! This…” She gestured the room richly decorated, the huge space that was barely ever used. A room in where she couldn’t recall experiencing a single moment of happiness, a single moment where it didn’t feel empty regardless of her parents’ presence. “This is more than what we ever needed, yet I was never happy here! Neither are any of you!” Were they even happy at all? As a couple? As people? She was starting to realize they were was a miserable as she once was, that maybe for her parents the concept of happiness, moreover, of family, was something so different from hers. “Even if you had the crown, you wouldn’t be happy. Because for you, it will never be enough.”

“But Chaewon is enough for me.” She moved before they could interrupt her, taking a step back, and giving them one last look. If this visit served of her of anything, was to confirm she was in the right place now, where she truly belonged. “Now, if you excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Kim.”

She could still hear her parents gasping as she turned around to leave, hear her dad’s veiled threats and her mother reprehensions – she ignored it all, reaching the exit where Kriesha was waiting for her.

Min felt her knees weak, her body as tired as if she had just left the battlefield – in certain ways, she had. She had tried so hard to be strong there, but now she could feel it hurting all over again. Nonetheless, she also felt a sense of pride and rightfulness. It wasn’t good, but somehow it was a closure, an ending to a toxic cycle of her life and hopefully the beginning of a new one, this time in a much better environment.

She once more brought her hands together, touching the wedding ring and feeling warmth coming from it, bringing her comfort.

“Min…How was it?” Kriesha asked, a gentle hand placed on her shoulder in support.

“Just like I thought it would be.” Minjoo’s lips curved ever so slightly, thankful for the girl’s presence and for finally being out of that place. “Let’s go back to the palace.”

A/N: That’s what I meant by light angst. But 2kim is 2kim and I think any other approach would just go against their chars here.

One chapter (and the epilogue) to go now. Thanks for reading, see you soon for the last chapter.

P.S.: If you ever wondered why Eunbi's kingdom is named Lepus, it's just because it translates as bunny and what could have been more appropriate xD As for Chae's kingdom, Aurum = gold = Kim ;)