Eunbi’s grandfather is a small but wizened old man. He is not unkind or unpleasant, but Eunbi still feels strangely disconnected from him. She feels like she should feel a familial love or fondness towards him, but all Eunbi feels is uncomfortable. Uncomfortable with the huge burden he has placed on her shoulders, uncomfortable with the wistful sadness in his eyes as he looks at her and sees someone else, and uncomfortable with the knowledge that he is the only connection she has to her birth parents.   He regards her over his teacup the next morning - she is unable to return home until after the wedding since the wedding is to take place in the Miyawaki's kingdom, and he has accompanied her to provide her advice and help her keep up to the rigorous schedule set out before her.   “Most of the wedding will not be planned by you, but apparently King Shunsuke still expects you to attend most of the meetings and to be fairly involved in them.” He tells her. She does not answer, instead choosing to focus on the way the butter seeps into her warmed toast and the way steam rises and curls over the brim of her coffee mug. “You are free to be involved as you see fit, but to avoid any distasteful occurrences, I suggest you attend most of the meetings. It may difficult between your studies, but I assure you it will be worth it.”   Eunbi chews on her toast and washes it down with very bitter, unsweetened coffee that burns on the way down before she answers.   “I’m not particularly invested in this marriage.” She admits. “Nor am I interested in running the Kingdom - don’t think that I want any part in this. So I will participate as little as humanly possible.”   He chuckles as he sets down his tea cup and leans his chin against thin, wrinkled fingers.   “Unfortunately, my dear, leading a country is not something you can do half-heartedly. While I am well aware that your motives for taking up the mantle for ruler are not…. pure, do you really want to lead a whole Kingdom into ruin just because you are uninterested? If you are doing this for your father, then do it well for him. I, admittedly, do not know him, but I doubt he would want you to spend the rest of your life doing the bare minimum just to pay some medical fees, if he is a decent father. Which he must be if you are willing to sign your life away to save him.” He tells her, and she glances down at her cup, chastised.   “I’m sorry.” She responds. “It’s a lot to take in.”   He nods.   “I am still shaken, myself.” Her grandfather admits. “You… look so much like her.”   Tears pool in the corner of his eyes as he regards Eunbi, and she is forced to look away, uncomfortable with the affection and grief that shines clearly in his eyes.   He shakes his head and the tone of the conversation shifts to the studies she must undertake if she wants to be able to competently rule not one Kingdom, but two, thanks to the allegiance her marriage to Princes Sakura will bring about. Her lessons will start once she is married to Sakura. They will not live in the palace, apparently, since they do not yet rule either of their Kingdoms - instead, an acceptably luxurious abode is currently being prepared for them. They will reside there until Eunbi’s coronation, where they will then stay in the palace that Eunbi’s birth parents once lived, and would live there indefinitely until the day came that it was Sakura’s turn to rule her country. This means that Eunbi has only a limited amount of time to learn as much as she can before her coronation, and most of that time will be spent not in her home Kingdom, but in Sakura’s.   Eunbi is just finishing up breakfast, wiping the last of the crumbs away from her lips, when the call comes. It is an unknown number, but the voice on the other side is surprisingly familiar.   “On a scale of one to ten,” Chaeyeon asks, her tone light and mirthful, “How mad are you that I actually published an article about your misery?”   “How did you get this number?” Eunbi asks, instead of answering Chaeyeon’s question. Chaeyeon laughs.   “Girl, you wouldn’t believe the skills I have as a reporter.” She says. “Don’t worry, I only use my powers for good.”   Eunbi is unsure how to proceed. Her grandfather looks curious, but does not say anything as Eunbi continues her phone call.   “So you actually published an article?” She asks.   “Yes. Sort of. I didn’t publish the whole story.” Chaeyeon admits. “Just enough to keep my boss happy. And don’t worry, I didn’t share that snap I got of you with the ruined wedding dress. You looked terrible, and no one should further their career by sharing a picture that ugly.”   “Thanks… I guess?” Eunbi is still confused as to what Chaeyeon’s intentions are, but oddly enough, her phone call is not unwelcomed.   “No worries. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is I wanted you to have a heads-up.” She says, her tone oddly serious. “I feel bad about throwing you into the deep-end, and couldn’t really sleep last night knowing I did something like that when you’re already so miserable… but a girl’s gotta feed herself, you know? Anyway, have a read of the article yourself, and you can text me all the verbal abuse you want if you’re upset. If you don’t contact me though, I’m gonna assume that you were alright with it and not feel guilty about any future articles about your love life that I publish.”   With that, Chaeyeon hangs up. Eunbi is about to explain to her grandfather what the call was about, when they are interrupted by his assistant, Jeonghan.   “Master Han?” He calls, his steps hesitant like he is expecting some sort of unpleasant outburst from the small man before him. “You may want to see this.”   He drops a newspaper onto the table between Eunbi and her grandfather, with a bold headline that no doubt spells trouble for Eunbi.  

 

***************  

 

“Trouble in Paradise” is the headline of the newspaper article that Shunsuke slams down in front of Sakura to read. Sakura can just make out the blurry picture of Eunbi entering the dress-shop, looking vaguely nauseous and the reporter’s name, someone called Lee Chaeyeon. Anger is not an emotion her father tends to waste his energy on, preferring instead to rely on cold severity and frightening indifference. He is angry now though. Sakura can see it in the livid stillness of his limbs, the restrained exhales of his breath and the ice of his piercing stare.   “What is this?” Shunsuke asks, his voice soft and trembling on the verge of an explosion. Sakura’s heart thrums with an anxiety. Though she is an adult now, she cannot fully abandon the fear of her father’s anger, and it is with shaking hands that Sakura picks up the newspaper.   The article is simple enough - simply expressing suspicions that the power couple of the year are not as happy as previous articles would have them believe. A secret, anonymous source, claims that Princess Eunbi is “miserable” and Princess Sakura is “not what she expected”. Sakura winces at how close this is to the truth, and wonders if there may in fact be a mole amongst the palace staff. Given the limited interactions between Sakura and her future spouse, it certainly limits the amount of people who could have done it. Perhaps Hyewon was feeling particularly spiteful and sold her out in some misguided attempt to ruin a marriage she admittedly does not want.   “It’s just meaningless gossip, Father.” Sakura responds, gently settling the newspaper back on her father’s desk. She should have known it was not good news when she received the summons to her father’s study that morning. Summons to her father’s study never bore good news - sadness and misery lurked in the air, as present as the sweet stink of lilies that his father has made no attempt to air out.   “Meaningless gossip?” Her father echoes thoughtfully. “Need I remind you, Sakura, that the purpose of this marriage is not merely a union of two states? Our position as rulers of this Kingdom is precarious, and we are relying on the popularity this match should provide to protect it.”   Sakura is silent. She is aware of this. Is she not signing away her life to protect this seemingly important position? Her father is not making the sacrifice, she is. She swallows down the acidic resentment that is sour on her tongue. Shunsuke continues speaking.   “I have spoken with Sashihara about this little… mishap. She informed me of the incident that occurred when you first met the Princess.” He says, shooting Sakura a distasteful glare to accentuate his point. Sakura looks away, ashamed. “We have decided that is appropriate for you two to meet up again and patch up whatever….. differences you may have. Do not forget that she may still choose to back out of our agreement. You have to be charming and win her over.”   Her father’s words are not an option or suggestion, they are definitive orders from a man who is used to ruling and completely unaccustomed to things not going his way. All protests die on Sakura’s tongue and she feels like she’s choking. Chastened, she lowers her gaze and nods feebly. She is dismissed then, and Sashihara awaits her outside the study, thick black planner in her hand.   “I have booked the two of you into a restaurant and have communicated with her grandfather. Your schedule for lunch tomorrow is cancelled and you have to spend that time with her.” She pauses, peering at Sakura over her spectacles. The look could almost be interpreted as sympathy, if Sashihara weren’t a soulless robot who existed purely to execute her father’s wishes. “This will perhaps be your only chance to communicate with Princess Eunbi, unsupervised. I would make the most of the opportunity and begin to reach a compromise for when you eventually live together.”   Perhaps she means the words to be helpful, kind even. What they do instead is make Sakura feel like her tongue has swollen and her heart is being painfully squeezed in her chest. She is to live with Eunbi - she will be her wife, not just contractually. They will be forced to live together, to attend social gatherings together, and perhaps even parent a child together. She remembers her epiphany at the dress-fitting, the one that Hyewon had astutely pointed at her - to enter into a marriage without love is perhaps the most miserable and lonely thing she can do. She hates the feeling. She is being spoilt and entitled, she knows. Her life was never her own, and would never be her own. From the moment she was born, her life belonged to her kingdom. And this means marrying Eunbi. If it were merely a matter of preserving her position as ruler, perhaps she would have backed out sooner, but Sakura knows that the people who are voicing discontent are not concerned for the sake of the Kingdom. They are greedy wolves, circling in a pack, eager to take her place and rule, not for the sake of the Kingdom, but for their own gain. The ones pushing for a change in ruling are the politicians, the upper class - those who would be able to step in and be elected to lead should their kingship dissolve. It is not just the desire to keep the greedy and ambitious off the throne that makes this marriage necessary, however - it is also the strength of an allegiance to a Kingdom as fortunate and well-resourced as Eunbi’s could only be good for her people.   Still, those reasons seem weak and crumbly when faced with the reality of what it will take to stay on the throne. Sakura is not ambitious and probably never will be. The niggling question she cannot rid herself of is this: Is she really marrying Eunbi for the good of the people? Or is this match just something to keep her father in power? Her father is not unlike those eying the throne. The only difference is that he was once a powerful and well-respected leader. With his beloved Queen by his side, he had ruled justly and fairly. Now he is selling his daughter to preserve his position.   These doubts are enough to force Sakura a decision- while she will not and cannot call off the wedding, as his father reminded her earlier, Eunbi can. She will rest the decision on Eunbi's shoulders - if Eunbi will not marry her, then perhaps she is free.   She is preoccupied with other duties for the rest of the day, but thoughts of her meeting with Eunbi are ever present in the back of her mind, like storm clouds hovering on the horizon. The next day dawns bright and sunny, in stark contrast