Princess Joohyun had been taught since a young age that she must look graceful and elegant at all times, and that she must carry herself with dignity as a member of the royal family.

However, this brittle image was thrown out the window when Joohyun was trying to run as fast as she possibly could. She did not care how she looked — the only thing on her mind was that she needed to go to her elder sister’s rescue right away.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!” The Princess’ handmaiden shouted desperately, struggling to simultaneously breathe and run after the royal she was supposed to attend. “You mustn't go to Princess Jooyeon’s residence! It will just bring trouble to you!”

“She’s my sister no matter what,” Joohyun insisted, albeit panting. “I won’t be dissuaded, so don’t try.”

She barely managed to finish her sentence when she tripped on her skirt and fell to the ground. It hurt and she let out a yelp; her knee was throbbing and she grimaced, but it did nothing to weaken her resolve. Gritting her teeth, she got back up on her feet as quickly as possible. There would be bruises and her skirt was dirtied but none of that mattered to her at the moment. She got up and kept going, ignoring her handmaiden’s pleas. The poor handmaiden had no choice but to keep running and chasing after the princess, and when she finally caught up, the scene that was unfolding before her eyes was exactly as she expected.

Joohyun stopped at the gates of her elder sister’s residence, feeling as if she was about to pass out. It was noon after all and the sun was shining mercilessly upon everyone in the palace. While there was the concern that she might faint from dehydration, she had more pressing matters to resolve.

“Let me in,” she said to the guards at the gates. “I demand to see my sister.”

Once she had caught her breath, her tone had become much more commanding and authoritative as was befitting of a royal. But she was not the highest-ranking royal there — her father was the sovereign whose supreme authority meant that his orders would always override anyone else’s.

“I apologize, Your Highness,” said one of the guards, gravely. “The King’s edict is clear — no visitors are allowed. It has been decreed that Princess Jooyeon is to remain in her quarters to reflect upon her mistakes. This will be the case until further notice. Pardon us for not being able to satisfy your command.”

Joohyun had seen this coming. She knew what the King’s orders entailed. But she could not bring herself to abandon her sister at such a critical moment. She wondered what strategy she should try next, if she ought to repeat herself with more sternness, even though she felt helpless and hopeless knowing her authority was inferior to the sovereign’s. Yet just as she was about to open and speak, her handmaiden was the one who piped up.

“You would dare disobey Her Highness’ orders?” The handmaiden’s tone was so sharp and resolute that Joohyun and the guards were surprised that a palace servant could be capable of this. “Are you not aware that, in the circumstance that any misfortune should befall Princess Jooyeon, it is Princess Joohyun who is going to be the heiress to the throne? Would you wish to offend or disrespect not just a Princess but also the prospective future Queen?”

Although her words seemed to intimidate the guards and work in Joohyun’s favor, inwardly Joohyun’s heart sank because of the implications in her handmaiden’s words: that her sister, the Crown Princess, was most likely going to be deposed and disowned. Only then would it be legally permissible for Joohyun to be next in line to the throne.

Joohyun understood the gravity of the situation. Her sister had made a huge mistake which dragged her on a path of no return. There was nothing that could be done that could possibly fix or undo this mess. Joohyun just wanted to be by her sister’s side, for emotional support if nothing else.

The handmaiden’s outburst seemed to take some desired effect on the guards who exchanged worried glances. Grimly, they relented and made way for Princess Joohyun to enter the residence. She instructed her handmaiden to wait right outside as she bolted to her sister’s side.

“Joohyun?” Jooyeon croaked weakly, slowly getting up from the fetal position she was curled up in. “How did you manage to get in here? What were you thinking?” She asked, even though her voice carried no energy. “You know our father forbade it. You shouldn’t have broken the rules to come visit me. I broke the rules and look at what’s happening to me now.”

Joohyun went up to her sister and they hugged. Jooyeon had already been crying nonstop and crying even harder now that she was in her sister’s embrace. Joohyun was not a crier, but that did not mean her heart was not equally hurting. It hurt even more to see that Jooyeon was still in her nightgown and barefaced, looking paler than a ghost.

“How are you holding up?” Joohyun asked. “Have you not eaten anything? Please don’t starve yourself...it isn’t good for your health,” she added, and then gulped. “Nor is it good for the baby.”

Jooyeon smiled wryly, then looked down at her tummy even though there was no bump showing just yet. “The baby, you say? Perhaps if I starve the baby to death then it would get rid of all my problems. What do you reckon, Joohyun? Do you think it’s gonna work? If I starve myself? I could try it. Maybe I shouldn’t drink any water either. That’ll speed it up—”

“Stop,” Joohyun pleaded in anguish. “I came here even though I knew the risks; I came here because I don’t want to see you suffer. So please.”

Jooyeon shook her head and sat down on the nearest chair, shoulders slumped as she looked into the distance and stared blankly at nothing in particular. “Nothing will ever be the same again.”

“While that may be true, I still want to do whatever I can to ensure you can still live a relatively comfortable life,” Joohyun replied solemnly. “Even though your titles will most likely be taken away.”

“That seems to be the least of my worries right now. I’m an immoral woman for having a baby out of wedlock. With one of my guards, of all people. Someone they deem so lowly and unworthy. I suppose I ought to be thankful they don’t take my life away.”

Joohyun sighed. “He was just a guard, a servant at the end of the day; of course they’d have his head. But you’re the King’s daughter. No one can touch a hair on your body unless our father personally and officially commands it.”

“What did you just say?” Jooyeon gasped, clutching her sister’s hands and grasping them as tightly as she could. It made Joohyun wince, but she knew her pain was nothing compared to her sister’s. Jooyeon’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide even though her stare was still lifeless and hollow. “They...they had him executed?”

Joohyun felt chills run down her spine. “You didn’t know,” she concluded after a chilling moment. “They didn’t tell you.”

Jooyeon let go of Joohyun and instead placed her hand on her chest right away as if searching for her heartbeat, as if attempting, needing to make sure that she was still alive, still breathing, still existing.

“They killed him,” Jooyeon whispered. “They killed the father of my child…”

“I’m so sorry,” said Joohyun sorrowfully. “There was no way they would’ve let him live. They charged him with and treason—”

“He didn’t me!” Jooyeon howled, the sudden spike in her volume causing her sister to flinch.

“I know…I just…”

“If they want to execute anyone, they should execute that traitor! That handmaiden that ratted me out!” She broke into sobs again, her chest heaving up and down. The more she tried to breathe, the more she felt as if she was going to throw up. It was only after a few minutes when she seemed to have calmed down that she was able to carry on talking. “I don’t know what gave me the impression that he and I were being careful, that we could manage to hide our affair. And now he’s dead, and soon I shall follow.”

“No, please don’t say that,” Joohyun begged. “We’ll find a way to resolve this.”

“You can’t bring back the dead,” Jooyeon spat.

“I can’t, but I can do my best to protect the living. You and the baby still have hope. You still stand a chance and I don’t want you to lose—”

All of a sudden, the doors were kicked open violently. The two princesses expected the guards to come barging in, but the intruder was no guard. They had no trouble recognizing that familiar face — the personal attendant of their mother, the Queen. The senior attendant, a woman in her late forties, looked so formidable that even as a servant, she managed to strike some fear in the two young royals. Behind her was half a dozen lower-ranking maids, and while none of them were armed, their mere presence was enough to make the two sisters feel intimidated.

“Your Highnesses,” said the attendant, uttering polite words but it was evident that there was no respect in her tone and attitude. On second thought, it was not just a lack of respect but in fact sentiments as strong as disgust and contempt, especially toward Jooyeon, the Crown Princess who had fallen from grace. She felt no need to switch to a more deferential attitude as she knew that she only needed to answer to the Queen, so if the two princesses had a problem with her then they could take it to their mother the Queen whose authority trumped theirs anyway.

“What are you doing here?” Joohyun asked sharply.

“I am here on behalf of the Queen,” she explained wickedly. “Her Majesty is aware that the Crown Princess must be feeling uncomfortable under confinement. To alleviate this discomfort, I have been ordered to deliver this bowl of papaya soup to you.”

Although she was speaking to Jooyeon directly, the princess did not dare look the attendant in the eye. She did not say anything in reply, and in fact displayed no response at all, as if she did not hear a single word the attendant spoke. As such. Joohyun had to take matters into her own hands.

“Then put it on the table and leave,” Joohyun commanded. “The Crown Princess and I do not wish to be disturbed, so get out.”

“We will gladly obey your commands, Princess Joohyun,” she sneered. “But not right now. Please understand that we must carry out the Queen’s orders first. And that includes seeing to it that Princess Jooyeon drinks the whole bowl of soup.”

“I don’t want it,” Jooyeon stated timidly.

“If Your Highness is feeling weak, the Queen has instructed me, as well as these maids,” the attendant added menacingly, gesturing at the maids standing behind her, “to feed it to you.”

“No.” Jooyeon shifted in her seat, turning away from the maids. “Go away. Leave us.”

It was clear that these maids no longer saw her as a powerful figure ever since her indiscretions and scandal had brought so much shame and dishonor to her family and her country. Swiftly, they approached her, cornering her, and the maids easily outnumbered the royals.

Joohyun could not stand it anymore. Slamming her palm onto the table, she glowered at the senior attendant fiercely. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Just doing my job as an obedient servant to the Queen,” the attendant answered nonchalantly. Rolling up her sleeves, she reached for the bowl of soup. She ignored Jooyeon’s screams and pleas while her subordinates did the same, holding the disgraced princess down by her wrists and ankles.

“Stop this! Immediately!” Joohyun bellowed. As if she were not feeling powerless enough already, the remaining maids grabbed her as well and had her subdued in a similar fashion. She could only look on helplessly as the senior attendant force-fed Jooyeon, making a mess as the pregnant princess’ continued attempts at resisting had caused the soup to spill everywhere. Her clothes were stained and so was the tiled floor. As a result of trying to scream yet also ha