Genre: Fluff, Historical, Romance, Slice of Life, Psychological, Cottagecore

Summary: Minjoo was living in a village doing alright. Then, she snagged a princess overnight.

A Jinjoo OS wherein Yujin is a princess who grew up with Aphasia or an impairment of language, which affects her production or comprehension of speech, and Minjoo is a renowned scholar who is known for her talent in writing and storytelling.

Word Count: 4858

Hashtag: #JinjooFiestaS2_HowsOfUs

Hows of Us

— how we met

The village was at rest. Peaceful skies laid above us, as the clouds formed in all shapes of serenity painted the sky blue heavens. The sun shone in its glory as yellow streaks adorned the painting above, completing the picture. It was a sunny day, as you can see. Beautiful, I might say. Not too hot, nor too cold. Just the right amount of warmth with a tinge of coolness brought by the swift breeze that wrapped around us from time to time. 

The array of beauty wasn't limited to what was above, as the grass and stray leaves danced with the wind, and the rustling of the trees sang with the children.

Our homes, or cottages as others may say, weren't extravagant. And yet, they were beautiful.

Tiny cabins built with stacked stone walls, shaped windows, piping chimneys, and wooden roofs. Vines and plants of all kinds crawled across their walls, leaving behind not a single crack left uncovered. It wasn't all greenery, as flowers of different colors and sizes fostered across the homes as well. 

The village wasn't as vast as people ought it to be, as it was just enough for the people that resided within it. 

Across the town stood kiosks made from varnished wood and polished stones owned by the finest apothecaries, huts built with the thickest of logs and strongest of stones kept by our very own blacksmiths, markets filled with rich and freshly picked greens and veggies from our gardens, and the prestige academy that served as the only educational institution in the locality together with our town library. 

Of course, the town wasn't limited to the persevering adults and their everlasting errands. It was a town for the children, too.

In here, a child that would be is as free as any child could be. In the eyes of the little ones, the village was no more than their dearest playground. 

They wake and wander as the birds cue the arrival of dawn, then they play and frolic after the clock strikes noon. Some bustle and hustle until they grow weary of their games, some sit and behave as they participate in the stories I say. 

"Are Princes even real?" Monday, a 7-year-old little girl of our own, asked me as she raised her hand. 

"Of course, Monday. We even have our own," I chuckled.

When the children heard my answer, a chorus of 'ooh', 'ahh', and 'wow!' met my ears.  Then, they started to get lively once again (not that they weren't in the first place) as they ask each other about their own theories and speculations about the prince. 

The children and I were sitting below one of our biggest evergreens, as its shade was enough to cloak all of us.

Even though the kids were shy in nature, their curiosity always got the best of them, making them ask me about all of the questions that ran through their minds. 

And it never failed to make me smile.

Truly and clearly, choosing to guide the youth in their early stages of knowledge as they take their first steps into understanding the world over spending my time trying to teach people nearly twice my age how to do their basics was the best decision I've ever made.

As I was about to adjourn and end our class, the children started to rally.

"One more, Unnie/Noona. One more!" they continued to chant.

"Today's weather is surely one we shouldn't take for granted. Are you sure none of you would rather play around the village again? You still have time before dusk arrives" I answered. As much as I wanted to take my time with the children, them not whining about wanting to play once more before the moonrise was oddly... weird.

"We don't want to."

"And why is that?"

The children then gave each other quick glances before Monday spoke up for them once again.

"We heard from our friends that heard from our parents that heard from the apothecaries that heard from the scholars that heard from the council that... that..." 

I gave out a small laugh before patting Monday's back, "Hey, Monday, calm down, okay? No need to rush your words. Breathe and take your time," I told her before giving her a reassuring smile.

Fortunately, after some panting, she nodded and smiled back.

"W-we heard that the prince was coming! T-to our town!" She exclaimed in her highest, yet softest, tone.

"A-and that he was here to s-study!" Jihan, another one of the girls, added.

"Oh-"

"That's w-why we want to hear more stories about him! So we can learn more about the prince!" Jiyoon inserted,"...a-and so we can be friends," she said while looking down at her feet. Aww, she got shy. Such a cutie!

Seems like playtime can wait. 

"Alright, alright. Very well then... but!" I quickly raised my hands.

"But what?" They answered in confusion.

"You have to sing along with me," I smirked as I gently placed my hands by my waist.

"Aye aye, unnie!" They all shouted in unison.

Okay, here we go!

I fixed my white lace dress, patting its skirt, then I brushed my hand through my pastel pink hair.

"There will come a prince, who carries a mighty sword," I sang as I acted it out dramatically, picking a fallen tree branch then raising it proudly, "He will tear your city down, o lei o lai o lord," I swung the branch, suddenly averting my gaze towards the children startling them for a second before they burst into laughter. Then I gave a little clap, cueing them to start singing with me. 

"O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord," They happily sang as every single one of them held hands. I sighed in awe.

It was always a sight to see.

"He will tear your city down..." as I was about to swivel my sword once again, something caught my attention.

Walking pass by us, donning a black turtle neck suit traced with silver jewels and an armor-added shoulder, was a sight I've never seen before.

Her hair, tied up in a ponytail, was a mirror to the oceans, as it was blue in the deepest of its shade. 

And her eyes, accentuated perfectly by the heavens as the rays gleamed on them brightly, reflecting it's hue just at the right spot, making them sparkle just like the tip of the sea waves during a sunny day. They were brown, similar to thee, yet it held much more than what I could ever will. 

They were beautiful, and they met mine.

"...o lei o lai o lord."

You gave me a smile, nodding modestly as you did. Your dimples were evident, and your charm was too.

I never realized I softened until you left my peripheral. I immediately snapped out of my trance when the children had suddenly started scrambling off. 

"Wait, what's going on?" I bent down as I asked one of the kids who was still busy tying his sandals. 

"It's the prince, noona!" He answered as he stood up, "They're here!" He continued before sprinting away, following his group.

"You were looking at him earlier, how did you not notice?" A soft voice asked me. I looked around following where the voice came from. Turns out, it was one of the children who didn't hurry to see the prince. She stood beside me, looking at her friends as they ran away from our view.

"Him?" I questioned. He.. or she.. a prince? the prince?

"Yes," She nodded.

The image of the young maiden I saw earlier popped up in my head once again. Little did I know, the beauty of her gaze had already imprinted itself inside of my mind. It was quick, just like a sudden snap, yet it felt like it lasted a lifetime.

I just knew I had to see more of it.

More of her.

I've never been so sure of anything until now.

I knew I wanted to be her friend.

"Let's go. I'm sure you'd want to meet him," I said as I offered my hand to the youngling.

She just looked up to me, giving me a tiny grin before holding my hand.

— how we became 

The night has dawned upon the village as the stars and the moon reigned the sky. Usually, at this hour, the majority of the people here are already either half asleep or are already dozing off into who knows where. But with the arrival of the prince, everyone made their exceptions.

The village heads prepared a grand feast for the royal visitation; they lit up the biggest bonfire, and they decorated every inch of the village crest.

Everyone was dancing to the tunes of our rondalla, and the crowd grew as the very own prince decided to dance with the people.

I remained absent from the festivities, mainly the crowd, as it wasn't my cup of tea. I stood by one of the corridors we had around the crest, leaning on the marble pillar while holding my drink. 

Before that and after a few asking around, I then discovered that the prince wasn't who I thought he was. First of all, he was, indeed, a man. Second, he was smart and surprisingly attractive. All eyes were on him throughout the event and nearly every lady in our village would do anything just to get close to him.

Except for me, though.

My eyes were fixated on... something else. 

But no matter where I looked around, a significant blue-haired beauty never showed itself.

As I was about to start going around again just to ask about who she was and where she went since my impatient and curious self couldn't handle it anymore, someone called out my name.

"Minjoo."

I turned around, it was our institute governor clad in our academy cloak.

I bowed as I greeted him, "Yes, sire?"

"Academy Hall. Now. Everyone has been waiting for you."

"Now? Why in such a short notice?"

"We've been deliberating over something, and we figured having you with us could help solve the matter at hand."

Sounds important.

"Alright."

We immediately went to the hall. I practically grew up around these walls, but having to be inside this particular room meant that whatever situation was, it was definitely serious. 

As I opened one of the massive spruce doors, everyone's eyes were suddenly on me. Inside stood a round table that was made for the most important of meetings. 

Seated around the huge table were another man and two women. They were the academy dean, the headteacher, and to my surprise, the queen.

Before I could even walk towards the table, the governor spoke.

"Your highness, Queen Chaeyeon, I introduce to you our highest ranking scholar, Kim Minjoo."

As he acknowledged the queen, I immediately bowed down. I shook her hand and we gave each other a modest smile. But before I could greet the queen on my own, the governor spoke again.

"She will teach your dear daughter everything she needs to know. Everyone in this academy trusts and knows Minjoo will do her well, I hope you can say the same."

I had no idea what was going on, but I knew to decline to whatever offer wasn't an option now. To do a task that was requested by the queen herself is surely a feat someone like me could've only imagined.

But before I can properly address myself again, the queen cut me off.

"I feel like trusting her isn't something difficult to do."

Rather than feel irritated as I was never given a chance to speak, instead, a smile slowly crept upon my face. A sudden light surge of joy went through me. A queen's trust is probably the hardest thing to gain, and I did it as soon as I en